Fears as government announces intent to nationalise land

There were fears that the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front wanted to increase its political patronage when The Herald reported that the government intended to abolish title deeds and replace them with 99-year leases with wildlife and game conservancies being limited to 25-year leases.

The United States embassy said the move would effectively give the ruling party additional leverage over the individual ministers, military officers, civil servants, judges, and party supporters who received property under land reform.

“While a title deed system would spare these tens of thousands of beneficiaries that measure of control and would significantly empower them economically, it is unlikely they could meaningfully influence resolution of pivotal issues even if they wanted to,” the embassy said.

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The Insider is a political and business bulletin about Zimbabwe, edited by Charles Rukuni. Founded in 1990, it was a printed 12-page subscription only newsletter until 2003 when Zimbabwe's hyper-inflation made it impossible to continue printing.